WSKG reporters are interviewing candidates in some of the biggest races in our area heading into the November election. This week, we profile the candidates running for New York’s 52nd Senate District. Democratic state Sen. Lea Webb is running for reelection. Her Republican challenger is Tompkins County Legislator Mike Sigler.
Mike Sigler won his first election 20 years ago, leaving behind a career as a reporter and television anchor in upstate New York to represent a portion of the town of Lansing in the Tompkins County Legislature. Since then, he has served in the county legislature for 14 years, being briefly unseated by a challenger in 2010.
Sigler ran for Congress in New York’s 22nd Congressional District in 2022, but dropped out of the primary after the district was redrawn to exclude Tompkins County. Now, he is hoping to unseat first-term Democratic state Sen. Lea Webb in New York’s 52nd Senate District, which includes the cities of Binghamton, Ithaca and Cortland.
“The leadership has basically taken us down a path and there's a lot of regulation, a lot of red tape, and the taxes continue to go up to pay for a system that really isn't working for the middle class anymore,” Sigler said.
Sigler wants to persuade Democrats and undecided voters to cast a ballot for a Republican. He said that is why he created an additional independent party line called Local 607.
“I wanted to give them an easier place to vote for me, not because they couldn't vote for me on the Republican line, they could,” he said. “But why make it more difficult if you don't have to?”
If elected, Sigler said he wants to tackle immigration. He said he is critical of New York’s sanctuary state status, meaning that law enforcement and state workers are not allowed to inquire about a person's immigration status under most circumstances.
He told WSKG that ultimately the burden of immigration reform should fall on the federal government.
“The federal government certainly does need to address it. They're the only ones with the kind of financial capacity to deal with this. The state certainly doesn't have those kinds of means.”
He also addressed reproductive rights, another contentious issue in this year's election.
Sigler stated that he does not intend to introduce legislation restricting abortion access in New York, although he described himself as pro-life in a 2022 interview with WRFI Community Radio.
Sigler indicated he would be open to offering birth control at taxpayers’ expense, hoping to decrease the number of people who need abortions in the first place.
“A lot of women don't want to go onto hormonal supplements and would rather go with maybe a copper IUD or something like that. Those can be a little more pricey, but those probably should be a taxpayer expense too,” he said.
But Sigler is also looking to cut expenses in Albany, pointing to the state’s efforts at electrification as a major example.
“I think it is sucking money from everything we do,” Sigler said.
New York has turned to broader electrification in the state as one way to fulfill its commitment to transitioning away from greenhouse gasses and addressing the climate crisis. In 2019, the state committed to getting 70% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030. However, New York has fallen behind on that target, a goal Sigler believes was unrealistic in the first place.
“I want something that we can actually achieve and New York state isn't at that point yet,” Sigler said.
He said he is wary of powering the state with renewables like wind and solar.
“If you are serious about climate change and you are serious about removing carbon from the atmosphere, the only solution is nuclear,” Sigler said.
There are some environmental and cost concerns regarding nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels.
Sigler thinks there are some things that are worth the cost, like increasing access to mental health care.
New York’s inpatient psychiatric capacity decreased by 10.5 percent from 2014 to 2023, according to a report released by the state comptroller. Many of those beds went to the treatment of COVID-19 patients, as the number of New Yorkers in need of mental health care increased.
“We've added some [beds] back, but we haven't added back anywhere near what we need to add back,” Sigler said.
When asked about their priorities in the 2024 election, respondents to a WSKG listener survey said one of their top concerns was the preservation of democracy and democratic institutions.
In response to these concerns, Sigler spoke in support of voter identification laws, policies which are on the books in one form or another in 36 states.
He said that there have been “an awful lot of noncitizens voting.” But data shows that rarely occurs.
Sigler also signed onto a Republican lawsuit challenging the state’s vote-by-mail law. The law, which allows all registered New York voters to cast their ballot by mail, was upheld in state court early this year.
On Wednesday, we’ll publish a profile on state Sen. Lea Webb and where she stands on some of the biggest issues facing New Yorkers.
WSKG is hosting a live debate between Mike Sigler and Lea Webb on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. Do you have a question for the candidates? You can submit them here.
Early voting begins Saturday, October 26. It is also the deadline for voter registration in New York. Election Day is November 5.
